Famine has swept through much of Ethiopia in the past year, but a new project will see a Saudi Arabian country convert one of the most fertile areas to produce rice for export. The idea is it's better to have people employed and making money.

About two years ago, the Maldives announced the nation would be carbon-neutral by 2020. That's a tall order for a country that spends 15 percent of GDP on diesel fuel, but work is progressing toward that goal.

Ethiopia answered the call of the United Nations in the 1950s and sent three battalions to South Korea to repulse the North Korean offensive. Along the way, they distinguished themselves for their valor, but also for their tradition of bringing all of their war dead home with them — a tradition embraced by the United States soon after.

If all goes as planned, Haiti, yes North America's Haiti, will become the latest member of the African Union sometime in January. Haiti and Africa share a sense of history, and African countries stepped up in the wake of Haiti's earthquake, which has led some to conclude the time is right to formalize their ties.

Ethiopia has struggled with a shortage of qualified doctors for years. In an effort to resolve that, it's vastly increased the sizes of existing classes and opened 13 new schools. But critics say Ethiopia is training a generation of woefully unqualified doctors.